Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

919,595 sq mi

(2,381,741 sq

km)

Capital

Algiers

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Algiers, Oran,

Constantine,

Annaba

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Algeria 79

 

Algiers

Population

(2004 estimate)

1,790,700

Algiers is the capital of the North African

country of Algeria. It is also Algeria’s

largest city and chief seaport. The city

lies along the Bay of Algiers.

A people called the Phoenicians created

a colony in the area in ancient times.

But the town was destroyed in the 400s.

Another group, called the Berbers,

rebuilt the town in the 900s as a center

of business. It became a prosperous city

in the 1600s under Turkish rule.

The French captured Algiers in 1830.

They made it the headquarters for

France’s colonies in North and West

Africa. During World War II

(1939–45) Algiers was the headquarters

of the Allied forces in North Africa.

Groups in Algeria began rebelling

against France in the 1950s. Much of

the fighting took place in Algiers. After

Algeria became an independent country

in 1962, Algiers grew as the country’s

capital.

#More to explore

Algeria

Algonquian

The Algonquians (or Algonkians) are a

group of Native American tribes that

traditionally spoke similar languages and

had similar ways of life. The Cree, the

Mohican, the Delaware (Lenni Lenape),

the Ojibwa, the Shawnee, and the

Algonquin are a few of the many Algonquian

tribes.

The Algonquians probably once lived in

southern Canada in the area north of

the Saint Lawrence River. Over time

they spread out, eventually occupying a

large portion of what are now the

United States and Canada. Their territory

included New England, the Atlantic

coast, the Great Lakes region, and

part of the Great Plains.

Most Algonquians built their villages

alongside rivers. They grew corn, beans,

and squash in nearby gardens. They

hunted deer, rabbits, and beaver and

sometimes larger animals such as elk,

moose, and bison (buffalo). They made

much of their clothing from animal

hides.

Most Algonquian tribes built domeshaped

houses called wigwams. Some

tribes built longhouses of wood and

The city of Algiers faces the Bay of Algiers. bark that were large enough to house

80 Algiers BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

several families. Others lived in coneshaped

tepees.

Religious practices varied among the

Algonquians. Most tribes shared a belief

in a great spirit called Manitou. They

believed that Manitou was present in all

things on Earth.

The Algonquians living along the Atlantic

coast were among the first Indians to

come in contact with settlers from

Europe. They greeted the Pilgrims and

the Jamestown settlers who arrived in

the early 1600s. Many Algonquians died

from diseases brought by the European

settlers. The settlers also gradually forced

the Indians to give up their land. By the

mid-1800s most Algonquians were living

on reservations. Thousands of

people of Algonquian heritage still live

in the United States and Canada.

#More to explore

Algonquin • Cree • Delaware • Mohican

• Native Americans • Ojibwa • Shawnee

Algonquin

The Algonquin (or Algonkin) people

traditionally lived along the Ottawa

River in what is now Canada. A version

of their tribal name is used to describe

one of the largest Native American language

groups, the Algonquians. Different

groups of Algonquin spoke different

Algonquian languages.

The Algonquin lived in scattered forest

villages. They made their houses from

wood and bark. They planted corn,

beans, and squash but got most of their

food by hunting and fishing.

The French began arriving in Algonquin

territory in the early 1600s. The Algonquin

traded animal furs to them in

exchange for European goods. This trade

made the Algonquin powerful for a

while. But the Huron soon replaced

them as the main trading partners of the

French.Warfare with the powerful Iroquois

eventually drove the Algonquin

from their homeland. Many Algonquin

joined other tribes. Some returned to

their territory once their relations with

the Iroquois had improved.

After the British defeated the French in

the French and IndianWar (1754–63),

the Algonquin became friends of the

British. However, British settlers who

moved into the Ottawa River valley took

away much of the Algonquin land. At

the end of the 20th century about 8,000

A drawing of an Algonquin village

shows homes and fields of

crops.

Many common

words that

have Native

American

roots come

from Algonquian

languages.

These

include “moccasin,”

“powwow,”

and

“tomahawk.”

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Algonquin 81

 

Algonquin lived in Canada, most of

them on reserves.

#More to explore

Algonquian • French and IndianWar

• Native Americans

Ali, Muhammad

U.S. boxer Muhammad Ali was a gifted

athlete with a personality that brought

him fans and fame. He was known for

such phrases as “I am the greatest!” and

“float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

Muhammad Ali was born on January

17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. His

original name was Cassius Marcellus

Clay. At the age of 18 Clay won a gold

medal at the Olympic Games in Rome.

He became the world heavyweight

champion in 1964.

In 1964 Clay joined the Nation of Islam

and changed his name to Muhammad

Ali. At the time the United States was